GT25's Battle Series: Xg-1 Star Wing vs Heavy-95
by gojiratoho25
Summary: Eleventh episode of the Battle Series. In my new installment, we will compare the Imperial Assault Gunboat against the Rebellion's modified Z-95 Headhunter to see which vehicle would win in a hypothesized battle to the death. No actual battle, just my thoughts on which vehicle would win in my opinion. R&R and no Flame Wars.


**GT25's Battle Series: Xg-1 Star Wing vs. Heavy-95**

 _The_ Alpha _-Class Xg-1 Star Wing, Z-95-AF4-H multi-role Starfighter, the Imperial Empire, the Rebellion, and any related material is owned by the Walt Disney Company, Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, and George Lucas._

Bonjour, and welcome to the eleventh installment of the Battle Series. With this series, we will analyze two warriors from the multitude of fictional universes to see who would emerge as the victor in a hypothesized battle to the death. However, this time we're doing things differently as we will be analyzing two vehicles to see which one would emerge victorious. For the third vehicle battle of the series, we will analyze the Imperial Assault Gunboat against the Rebellion's modified Z-95 Headhunter. To ensure neither vehicle has an advantage, it will be assumed that both vehicles are manned by equally competent crews. For this battle, we will analyze the size, engines/speed, armor/shielding, pilots/controls, armament, countermeasures, and advantages/disadvantages of both vehicles. As these two fighters are obscure vehicles, I will give a brief history of both vehicles so that others may know more about them.

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 **History of the Vehicles**

Created soon after the destruction of the first Death Star, the _Alpha_ -Class Xg-1 Star Wing became one of the Galactic Empire's first general-deployment starfighter to be equipped with deflector shields and a hyperdrive. Based off the tri-wing design similar to the _Lambda_ -Class T-4a Shuttle, the gunboat was capable of taking more hits than the standard TIE Fighter and was compared favorably against similarly heavy Rebel craft such as the Y-Wing and the B-Wing. However, as it was the only starfighter in the Imperial Navy with a hyperdrive, it was typically deployed to perform specific missions that standard TIE Fighters were unable to perform and complete. After the development of the hyperdrive equipped TIE Avenger, the gunboat was escorted by TIE Avengers whereas it had no escorts before this time. Ultimately, widespread production of the gunboat was not planned like the TIE Fighters due to the Imperial doctrine of quantity over quality.

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During the start of the Rebel Alliance, the movement were forced to use any weapon and vehicle they were either able to build or get their hands on. Thanks to the fairly inexpensive price of the Z-95 Headhunter, the movement used these fighters as one of their first primary starfighters in their fight against the Galactic Empire. However, despite being reliable, the Rebellion modified the fighters into the Z-95-AF4-H multi-role Starfighter to give their pilots more powerful vehicles for dog fights. These fighters, referred to as the 'Heavy-95' due to being allowed for more weight to be carried thanks to cross-body strakes, gave the movement the type of starfighter that they needed to combat the fighters of the Empire. However, these fighters would be replaced by the successor to the Z-95 Headhunter, the T-65 X-Wing Starfighter, following the Battle of Fresia and would eventually inspire the T-65 Advance X-Wing after the Battle of Yavin.

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 **Size**

Strangely, information for the Xg-1 Star Wing is plentiful as it has a length of 10 meters, or 32.8084 feet, a width of 15.1 meters, or 49.54068 feet, and a height of 7.2 meters, or 23.622 feet.

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While much of the information on the size of the Heavy-95 Starfighter is not given from what I could find, I did find that it has a length of 11.8 meters, or 38.71391 feet.

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 _Verdict:_ While there isn't much information on the Heavy-95 Starfighter, I actually would say that it is the smaller of the two. This is because, despite being the smaller of the two in length, the Xg-1 Star Wing has a much larger body profile in comparison and, as such, is the bigger target of the two. The starfighter isn't a smaller target either, but its body shape would make it harder for the gunboat to hit while said ship would have a harder time trying to avoid being hit by attacks. I will give a slight edge to the Heavy-95 Starfighter as it still is a large ship when comparing the two fighters.

 **Engines/Speed**

The Xg-1 Star Wing has two Cygnus 4K7 Dual Line ion engines that it uses to fly and is equipped with a Cygnus HD7 hyperdrive motivator that has a Class 12 hyperdrive rating. Thanks to its engines, this gunboat is able to fly in the atmosphere at a maximum of 1,050 km/h, or 652.44 mph (rounded to the hundredths place) and can reach speeds of 90 MGLT, or Megalights, in space. The ship also has a maneuverability rating of 78 DPF, but the exact meaning of 'DPF' is something I couldn't find.

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The Heavy-95 Starfighter is equipped with four 4L4 fusial thrust engines that it uses to fly and has a Gbk-435 hyperdrive motivator that has a Class 2.0 hyperdrive rating. Thanks to its four engines, this fighter is able to fly at 1,150 km/h, or 714.58 mph (rounded to the hundredths place) at max in the atmosphere and can reach speeds of 100 MGLT in space. In addition, the ship has a maneuverable rating of 86 DPF.

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 _Verdict:_ This one is simple to call, but I will explain my reasons. While I don't know how fusial thrust engines compare to ion engines, the Heavy-95 Starfighter has double the amount of engines of the Xg-1 Star Wing and has the better hyperdrive in the case either have to flee. Additionally, the starfighter is faster in both the atmosphere and when traveling through space than the gunboat and has the better maneuverability of the two. So, with more engines and being the faster of both vehicles, the Heavy-95 Starfighter gets the comfortable edge for this category.

 **Armor/Shielding**

The Xg-1 Star Wing has a Quadanium steel armored titanium hull with a rating of 28 RU, with what 'RU' means exactly is unknown. In addition, the gunboat is equipped with a Novaldex forward and rear projecting shield system that is rated at 100 SBD. Again, what 'SBD' means is unknown.

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While the hull of the Heavy-95 Starfighter is unknown, it does have a rating of 14 RU and possibly has a titanium hull based off the information of its successor, the X-Wing. In addition, the fighter is equipped with a XoLyyn shield generator that is rated at 20 SBD.

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 _Verdict:_ This is rather strange, as the edge for this category comes down to the rating of both the hull and shielding of the ships. I wasn't able to find how the rating for the hulls and shielding are placed, but it is possible that the larger numbers mean that the hulls and shields are stronger. If that is the case, then I would say that the Xg-1 Star Wing gets the edge due to having the greater hull and shields compared to the Heavy-95 Starfighter.

 **Pilots/Controls**

The Xg-1 Star Wing was flown by a single trained pilot and, while I was unable to find the main piloting controls, I did find two systems that the pilots use to fly the ship. The gunboat has a SFS N-s8.6 Navcom computer system for navigation and a Miradyne RCS-6 flight computer for its avionics. However, the RCS-6 were notorious in being difficult to modify thanks to a rigid set of inter-connectivity protocols. This often caused non-standard personal modifications to fail to work and this problem was exacerbated by the bankruptcy of Miradyne Limited. This also caused any breakdown in the RCS-6 system had to potentially become catastrophic as replacement parts became extremely hard to come by.

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The Heavy-95 Starfighter was flown by a single trained pilot and, based off a few pictures I found, it seemed to have a type of center stick (or control stick) much like the X-Wing to pilot the craft. Along with this, the starfighter has the ANS-5c sensor unit with the suites of this unit being equipped with a PA-9r long range phased tachyon detection array and a PG-7u short range primary threat analysis grid. The fighter also has an ANq 2.4 tracking computer to track targets with said computer linked to a SI 5g8 "Quickscan" imaging system. Finally, the fighter uses an astromech droid to control the navigation system with the system possibly being a Zr-390 navicomputer system as it was installed on later variants of the Z-95s.

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 _Verdict:_ While much of the information on these two with their equipment are unknown, there are several factors in this category that can't be ignored. First, we know that the Heavy-95 Starfighter has a sensor system and a tracking computer that is known and could be effective against its foes. Additionally, while both have a navigation system, the starfighter has an advantage over the gunboat as it has an astromech to help the pilot with this system. Not only that, but the fact that the fighter has both a pilot and an astromech piloting the ship gives it more than the single pilot of the gunboat.

However, what gives the starfighter the edge in this category is the flight computer that the Xg-1 Star Wing has holds it back. Simply put, the fact that the flight computer is notorious for being difficult to modify and any breakdown that it has being catastrophic for the ship means that the gunboat has a disadvantage that could ruin any chance of winning a fight. The scarcity of any replacement parts for the computer doesn't help the gunboat either. Put simply, I would rather side with the more reliable systems of the Heavy-95 Starfighter than the Xg-1 Star Wing with its unreliable flight computer.

 **Armament**

The Xg-1 Star Wing is equipped with two Taim & Bak KX5 laser cannons on its wings as its main weapons and two Borstel NK-3 ion cannons above the cockpit as part of its secondary weapons. These ion cannons are capable of disabling other crafts before destroying said craft with its other weapons. As part of the vehicle's secondary weapons, the gunboat has two SFS M-s3 concussion missile launchers with both loaded with eight concussion missiles each.

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The Heavy-95 Starfighter is armed with two Taim & Bak KX5 laser cannons mounted on its wings as its main weapons and has two Krupx MG5 concussion missile launchers with both loaded with four concussion missiles each.

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 _Verdict:_ This one is a no brainer. While both fighters have the same type of laser cannons and similar types of launchers, the Xg-1 Star Wing has two ion cannons gives it a means of disabling its target and the Heavy-95 Starfighter has nothing to counter this. As the gunboat is bringing a weapon that can cause the end of the fight, the Imperial gunboat gets the edge.

 **Countermeasures**

Based off my research, the Xg-1 Star Wing has no means of countering an attack from an opposing vehicle other than using its shields.

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From what I could find on the fighter, the Heavy-95 Starfighter doesn't have any means of countering an attack from an opposing vehicle other than using its shields.

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 _Verdict:_ Neither the fighter nor the gunboat have any countermeasures, thus neither get the edge.

 **Advantages/Disadvantages**

Thanks to its hyperdrive and deflector shields, the Xg-1 Star Wing was superior to the regular TIE Fighter and gave the pilot more options than the simpler starfighters of the Empire. Along with this, its deflector shields and armor allowed it to take a beating from enemy starfighters. This armor and shielding was combined with its weapons with it having a pair of ion cannons to disable an enemy before simply destroying them. Additionally, its speed was able to match the speed of an X-Wing in atmosphere and outpace the slower BTL Y-Wing in a battle. Along with this speed and its ion cannons, its concussion missiles allowed the fighter to attack larger vessels and even capital ships.

However, it's speed and maneuverability were unable to match an X-Wing in space or the more nimble RZ-1 A-Wing in a battle. Speaking of speed, a faster and more maneuverable starfighter could get out of range of its ion cannons and avoid being hit by them. The body profile of the fighter also was large enough for another ship to focus fire on it. The biggest disadvantage the ship has is how unreliable the Miradyne RCS-6 flight computer was. As I've already discussed this computer in detail, I will just say that it breaking down during a battle would result in the possible destruction of the gunboat.

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Thanks to its four engines, the Heavy-95 Starfighter was able to fly faster just as fast as the X-Wing in space and faster than its successor when in atmosphere. Its maneuverability would also allow it to get around an enemy fighter and avoid said crafts weapons. While it didn't have many weapons, the starfighter did have concussion missiles that it could use against both other fighters and larger vessels. These weapons also gave it more to work with especially since it had a smaller body profile than the slightly larger X-Wing and Y-Wing.

Much like its successor, the Starfighter utilized an astromech droid to control the navigation computer and gave the pilot one less system to worry about. However, the shields and hull of the fighter weren't the best and couldn't take a beating should it get into a slugging match with an opposing fighter. In addition, the starfighter wasn't that much smaller than the X-Wing and Y-Wing so it still is a large enough target for an opposing fighter to focus fire on.

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 _Verdict:_ This one is a rather simple edge to call. The Heavy-95 Starfighter has the superior speed of the two and had an astromech to help the pilot while the Xg-1 Star Wing has the superior armor and weapons of the two. However, the fact that the flight computer of the gunboat is fickle at best and could cause trouble for the pilot should it break down and it has a larger body profile, which makes it a larger target, take away from the ship's advantages. Ultimately, the disadvantage of having mechanical problems holds the gunboat back and any advantages it has doesn't really make up for it. However, the starfighter has nothing to match the armor and weapons of the gunboat. So, as its foe has superior armor and weapons, I will award a very slight edge to the Heavy-95 Starfighter.

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 **Category Edge Recap**

Size: Z-95-AF4-H multi-role Starfighter

Engines/Speed: Z-95-AF4-H multi-role Starfighter

Armor/Shielding: _Alpha_ -Class Xg-1 Star Wing

Pilots/Controls: Z-95-AF4-H multi-role Starfighter

Armament: _Alpha_ -Class Xg-1 Star Wing

Countermeasures: Draw

Advantages/Disadvantages: Z-95-AF4-H multi-role Starfighter

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 **Verdict:** What makes this fight interesting to me is how these two fighters came about when they first saw service in the Galactic Civil War. Both the Heavy-95 Starfighter and the Xg-1 Star Wing were created to answer a need for the groups using them and deployed to accomplish this need. For the Rebel Alliance, it was a need for starfighters in the first few years of it's existence. For the Galactic Empire, it was a need for starfighters that didn't need the support of a carrier ship such as a Star Destroyer. Ultimately, both fighters fulfilled the needs of their users for a time and were later replaced by better options, the X-Wing for the Rebellion and both the TIE Defender and TIE Avenger for the Empire.

Between these two starships, the starfighter has the superior speed and controls while the gunboat has the superior armor and weapons. Normally, I would to side with a vehicle with more weapons over a vehicle that has greater speed. However, the Xg-1 Star Wing has something that I believe holds it back in this match. The flight computer that the gunboat has simply isn't reliable to be used and the scarcity of replacement parts for it means that any break down of the computer harms the gunboat. Even if it has the superior weapons and armor of the two, the gunboat would be in trouble should this situation happens and could cause the destruction of the vehicle.

As it doesn't have this type of mechanical problem, I think that the Heavy-95 Starfighter has an edge against its opponent. In fact, I'm willing to say that it's speed and maneuverability would be sufficient enough to avoid being hit by either the laser cannons or the ion cannons. While it is possible for it to fall to the gunboat should it get hit enough, I still believe that it wouldn't take much time to focus its weapons on its target. Now, I'm not saying this because I have some sort of bias for or against either of these ships. I have no doubt that the gunboat could destroy the starfighter should it be able to hit its opponent enough with its weapons.

However, I don't believe that the advantages of the Xg-1 Star Wing can make up for its mechanical problems. The Heavy-95 Starfighter, on the other hand, doesn't have these problems and its speed gives it an edge that its opponent simply doesn't have. In terms of how this battle would go down, I would say that these two would be battling each other for several minutes. As these two fighters battle it out, the starfighter would be able to avoid the laser and ion blasts while maneuvering around its slower opponent. The gunboat, on the other hand, will be getting hammered with laser blasts and trying to maneuver to avoid the incoming fire.

Should either fighter employ its concussion missiles, then I could see either vehicle scoring a hit and winning the battle. However, in my mind, the speed of the starfighter wouldn't allow the gunboat to get a target lock and wouldn't be able to attack. Ultimately, the speed and weapons of the Heavy-95 Starfighter will be enough to wear down the shields of the Xg-1 Star Wing before delivering the final blow to the wounded gunboat.

 **Possible Winner:** Z-95-AF4-H multi-role Starfighter

Please note that this is just my opinion. I know that some people would say that the _Alpha_ -Class Xg-1 Star Wing would win against the Z-95-AF4-H multi-role Starfighter, which is why this is called GT25's Battle Series, not so-and-so's Battle Series.

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Have a hypothesized battle that you want to see? Leave the battle in the reviews or PM me and I would be happy to do it.


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